Purpose: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common male sexual dysfunction. Gut microbiota plays an important role in various diseases. To investigate the effects and mechanisms of intestinal flora dysregulation induced by high-fat diet (HFD) on erectile function. Materials and Methods: Male Sprague–Dawley rats aged 8 weeks were randomly divided into the normal diet (ND) and HFD groups. After 24 weeks, a measurement of erectile function was performed. We performed 16S rRNA sequencing of stool samples. Then, we established fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) rat models by transplanting fecal microbiota from rats of ND group and HFD group to two new groups of rats respectively. After 24 weeks, erectile function of the rats was evaluated and 16S rRNA sequencing was performed, and serum samples were collected for the untargeted metabolomics detection. Results: The erectile function of rats and the species diversity of intestinal microbiota in the HFD group was significantly lower, and the characteristics of the intestinal microbiota community structure were also significantly different between the two groups. The erectile function of rats in the HFD-FMT group was significantly lower than that of rats in the ND-FMT group. The characteristics of the intestinal microbiota community structure were significantly different. In the HFD-FMT group, 27 metabolites were significantly different and they were mainly involved in the several inflammation-related pathways. Conclusions Intestinal microbiota disorders induced by HFD can damage the intestinal barrier of rats, change the serum metabolic profile, induce low-grade inflammation and apoptosis in the corpus cavernosum of the penis, and lead to ED.

Objective To investigate the effect of rehabilitation training therapy on the recovery of pronuncia-tion and swallowing function in patients with unilateral vocal cord paralysis after cardiothoracic surgery.Methods A total of 28 patients with unilateral vocal cord paralysis after cardiothoracic surgery were given voice and swallo-wing rehabilitation training for 12 weeks,with sessions lasting 0.5 to 1 hour,twice a week.The GRBAS assess-ment system,voice handicap index(VHI),computer voice analyzer,maximum loudness phonetic time(MLPT)and maximum phonetic time(MPT)were used to evaluate voice quality before and after rehabilitation training.Swallo-wing function was evaluated using the aspiration grade evaluation and fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing(FEES).Results After rehabilitation training,all patients' pronunciation function,VHI,MLPT and MPT,eating and coughing,aspiration rating of patients with swallowing disorders were significantly improved compared with those before rehabilitation training,and no complications such as aspiration pneumonia were observed.Conclusion Rehabilitation training therapy can effectively improve the voice quality and swallowing function of patients with vo-cal cord paralysis after cardiothoracic surgery,and has clinical application value.

Objective To investigate the effect of rehabilitation training therapy on the recovery of pronuncia-tion and swallowing function in patients with unilateral vocal cord paralysis after cardiothoracic surgery.Methods A total of 28 patients with unilateral vocal cord paralysis after cardiothoracic surgery were given voice and swallo-wing rehabilitation training for 12 weeks,with sessions lasting 0.5 to 1 hour,twice a week.The GRBAS assess-ment system,voice handicap index(VHI),computer voice analyzer,maximum loudness phonetic time(MLPT)and maximum phonetic time(MPT)were used to evaluate voice quality before and after rehabilitation training.Swallo-wing function was evaluated using the aspiration grade evaluation and fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing(FEES).Results After rehabilitation training,all patients' pronunciation function,VHI,MLPT and MPT,eating and coughing,aspiration rating of patients with swallowing disorders were significantly improved compared with those before rehabilitation training,and no complications such as aspiration pneumonia were observed.Conclusion Rehabilitation training therapy can effectively improve the voice quality and swallowing function of patients with vo-cal cord paralysis after cardiothoracic surgery,and has clinical application value.

Purpose: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common male sexual dysfunction. Gut microbiota plays an important role in various diseases. To investigate the effects and mechanisms of intestinal flora dysregulation induced by high-fat diet (HFD) on erectile function. Materials and Methods: Male Sprague–Dawley rats aged 8 weeks were randomly divided into the normal diet (ND) and HFD groups. After 24 weeks, a measurement of erectile function was performed. We performed 16S rRNA sequencing of stool samples. Then, we established fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) rat models by transplanting fecal microbiota from rats of ND group and HFD group to two new groups of rats respectively. After 24 weeks, erectile function of the rats was evaluated and 16S rRNA sequencing was performed, and serum samples were collected for the untargeted metabolomics detection. Results: The erectile function of rats and the species diversity of intestinal microbiota in the HFD group was significantly lower, and the characteristics of the intestinal microbiota community structure were also significantly different between the two groups. The erectile function of rats in the HFD-FMT group was significantly lower than that of rats in the ND-FMT group. The characteristics of the intestinal microbiota community structure were significantly different. In the HFD-FMT group, 27 metabolites were significantly different and they were mainly involved in the several inflammation-related pathways. Conclusions Intestinal microbiota disorders induced by HFD can damage the intestinal barrier of rats, change the serum metabolic profile, induce low-grade inflammation and apoptosis in the corpus cavernosum of the penis, and lead to ED.

Purpose: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common male sexual dysfunction. Gut microbiota plays an important role in various diseases. To investigate the effects and mechanisms of intestinal flora dysregulation induced by high-fat diet (HFD) on erectile function. Materials and Methods: Male Sprague–Dawley rats aged 8 weeks were randomly divided into the normal diet (ND) and HFD groups. After 24 weeks, a measurement of erectile function was performed. We performed 16S rRNA sequencing of stool samples. Then, we established fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) rat models by transplanting fecal microbiota from rats of ND group and HFD group to two new groups of rats respectively. After 24 weeks, erectile function of the rats was evaluated and 16S rRNA sequencing was performed, and serum samples were collected for the untargeted metabolomics detection. Results: The erectile function of rats and the species diversity of intestinal microbiota in the HFD group was significantly lower, and the characteristics of the intestinal microbiota community structure were also significantly different between the two groups. The erectile function of rats in the HFD-FMT group was significantly lower than that of rats in the ND-FMT group. The characteristics of the intestinal microbiota community structure were significantly different. In the HFD-FMT group, 27 metabolites were significantly different and they were mainly involved in the several inflammation-related pathways. Conclusions Intestinal microbiota disorders induced by HFD can damage the intestinal barrier of rats, change the serum metabolic profile, induce low-grade inflammation and apoptosis in the corpus cavernosum of the penis, and lead to ED.

Purpose: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common male sexual dysfunction. Gut microbiota plays an important role in various diseases. To investigate the effects and mechanisms of intestinal flora dysregulation induced by high-fat diet (HFD) on erectile function. Materials and Methods: Male Sprague–Dawley rats aged 8 weeks were randomly divided into the normal diet (ND) and HFD groups. After 24 weeks, a measurement of erectile function was performed. We performed 16S rRNA sequencing of stool samples. Then, we established fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) rat models by transplanting fecal microbiota from rats of ND group and HFD group to two new groups of rats respectively. After 24 weeks, erectile function of the rats was evaluated and 16S rRNA sequencing was performed, and serum samples were collected for the untargeted metabolomics detection. Results: The erectile function of rats and the species diversity of intestinal microbiota in the HFD group was significantly lower, and the characteristics of the intestinal microbiota community structure were also significantly different between the two groups. The erectile function of rats in the HFD-FMT group was significantly lower than that of rats in the ND-FMT group. The characteristics of the intestinal microbiota community structure were significantly different. In the HFD-FMT group, 27 metabolites were significantly different and they were mainly involved in the several inflammation-related pathways. Conclusions Intestinal microbiota disorders induced by HFD can damage the intestinal barrier of rats, change the serum metabolic profile, induce low-grade inflammation and apoptosis in the corpus cavernosum of the penis, and lead to ED.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate possible associations between physical function assessment scales, such as Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS), with all-cause mortality in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) patients. METHODS: A total of 108 ADHF patients were analyzed from October 2020 to October 2022, and followed up to May 2023. The association between baseline clinical characteristics and all-cause mortality was analyzed by univariate Cox regression analysis, while for SPPB and BBS, univariate Cox regression analysis was followed by receiver operating characteristic curves, in which the area under the curve represented their predictive accuracy for all-cause mortality. Incremental predictive values for both physical function assessments were measured by calculating net reclassification index and integrated discrimination improvement scores. Optimal cut-off value for BBS was then identified using restricted cubic spline plots, and survival differences below and above that cut-off were compared using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and the log-rank test. The clinical utility of BBS was measured using decision curve analysis. RESULTS: For baseline characteristics, age, female, blood urea nitrogen, as well as statins, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, or angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors, were predictive for all-cause mortality for ADHF patients. With respect to SPPB and BBS, higher scores were associated with lower all-cause mortality rates for both assessments; similar area under the curves were measured for both (0.774 for SPPB and 0.776 for BBS). Furthermore, BBS ≤ 36.5 was associated with significantly higher mortality, which was still applicable even adjusting for confounding factors; BBS was also found to have great clinical utility under decision curve analysis. CONCLUSIONS BBS or SPPB could be used as tools to assess physical function in ageing ADHF patients, as well as prognosticate on all-cause mortality. Moreover, prioritizing the improvement of balance capabilities of ADHF patients in cardiac rehabilitation regimens could aid in lowering mortality risk.

Palliative care is a way to help end-of-life populations improve their quality of life， and its development in practice cannot be separated from the level of education in palliative care. At present， some medical schools in palliative care education compared with western developed countries have problems such as imperfect construction of hospice curriculum system， lack of medical students’ hospice knowledge； insufficient interdisciplinary teaching faculty， weak palliative care awareness of medical students； single teaching evaluation mode； weak palliative care practice teaching links. To this end， it is necessary to improve the palliative care curriculum system， explore rich and diverse teaching methods； strengthen interdisciplinary teaching and faculty development， enhancing the awareness of palliative care among medical students；establish a scientific and effective evaluation method， carry out multi-dimensional dynamic assessment； expand the palliative care practice teaching base， and accurately improve the practical skills of medical students in palliative care， and other countermeasures to improve the level of palliative care education， and to help the strategy of Healthy China.

Purpose: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common male sexual dysfunction. Gut microbiota plays an important role in various diseases. To investigate the effects and mechanisms of intestinal flora dysregulation induced by high-fat diet (HFD) on erectile function. Materials and Methods: Male Sprague–Dawley rats aged 8 weeks were randomly divided into the normal diet (ND) and HFD groups. After 24 weeks, a measurement of erectile function was performed. We performed 16S rRNA sequencing of stool samples. Then, we established fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) rat models by transplanting fecal microbiota from rats of ND group and HFD group to two new groups of rats respectively. After 24 weeks, erectile function of the rats was evaluated and 16S rRNA sequencing was performed, and serum samples were collected for the untargeted metabolomics detection. Results: The erectile function of rats and the species diversity of intestinal microbiota in the HFD group was significantly lower, and the characteristics of the intestinal microbiota community structure were also significantly different between the two groups. The erectile function of rats in the HFD-FMT group was significantly lower than that of rats in the ND-FMT group. The characteristics of the intestinal microbiota community structure were significantly different. In the HFD-FMT group, 27 metabolites were significantly different and they were mainly involved in the several inflammation-related pathways. Conclusions Intestinal microbiota disorders induced by HFD can damage the intestinal barrier of rats, change the serum metabolic profile, induce low-grade inflammation and apoptosis in the corpus cavernosum of the penis, and lead to ED.

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical value of serum creatinine-to-cystatin C ratio （CCR） in evaluating the prognosis of hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure （HBV-ACLF）. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 130 patients with HBV-ACLF （treatment group） who were hospitalized in Department of Infectious Diseases， The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University， from January 2021 to November 2022. According to the treatment outcome， they were divided into survival group with 87 patients and death group with 43 patients； according to the presence or absence of infection， they were divided into infection group with 37 patients and non-infection group with 93 patients. A total of 30 individuals who underwent physical examination during the same period of time were enrolled as control group. Routine blood test results were collected on the day of admission， including white blood cell count， platelet count， neutrophil count， and lymphocyte count； serum creatinine， cystatin C， serum albumin （Alb）， and prothrombin time （PT） were observed on the day of admission and on days 5， 10， and 15 of hospitalization， and related indicators were calculated， including CCR， neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio （NLR）， platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio （PLR）， prognostic nutritional index （PNI）， CCR5 （CCR on day 5 after admission）， ΔCCR5 （CCR on day 5 after admission minus CCR on the day of admission）， CCR10 （CCR on day 10 after admission）， ΔCCR10 （CCR on day 10 after admission minus CCR on day 5 after admission）， CCR15 （CCR on day 15 after admission）， and ΔCCR15 （CCR on day 15 after admission minus CCR on day 10 after admission）. The above indicators were compared between the survival group and the death group and between the infection group and the non-infection group. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups， and the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison between multiple groups. The univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the influencing factors for disease prognosis； the receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve was used to assess the value of CCR in predicting HBV-ACLF death events， and the DeLong test was used for comparison of the area under the ROC curve （AUC）. ResultsThere were significant differences in CCR， NLR， PNI， PT， and Alb at baseline between the treatment group and the healthy control group （all P<0.001）， and there were significant differences in CCR， NLR， and PT between the survival group and the death group on the day of admission （all P<0.05）. Among the 130 patients with HBV-ACLF， there were 25 in the precancerous stage， 48 in the early stage， 32 in the intermediate stage， and 25 in the advanced stage， and there were significant differences in baseline CCR， PLR， and PT between the patients in different stages of HBV-ACLF （all P<0.05）. There were significant differences in ΔCCR5 and NLR between the infection group and the non-infection group （P<0.05）， and there were significant differences in ΔCCR5， CCR10， and CCR15 between the survival group and the death group （all P<0.05）. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that ΔCCR5 （odds ratio ［OR］=1.175， 95% confidence interval ［CI］： 1.098‍ — ‍1.256， P<0.001）， NLR （OR=0.921， 95%CI： 0.880‍ — ‍0.964， P<0.001）， and PT （OR=0.921， 95%CI： 0.873‍ — ‍0.973， P=0.003） were independent influencing factors for the prognosis of HBV-ACLF patients. ΔCCR5 had an AUC of 0.774， a sensitivity of 0.687， and a specificity of 0.757， and the AUC of ΔCCR5+PT+NLR was 0.824， which was significantly higher than the AUC of ΔCCR5， NLR， or PT alone （all P<0.05）. ConclusionΔCCR5， NLR， and PT can reflect the condition and prognosis of patients with HBV-ACLF and are independent predictive indicators for death events in patients with HBV-ACLF. The combination ofΔCCR5， PT， and NLR has the best predictive efficiency.